Delhi court asks Omar Abdullah’s estranged wife to vacate house

New Delhi, Aug 16 (IANS) A court here on Tuesday ordered Payal Abdullah, the estranged wife of former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, to vacate the government accommodation allotted to Omar in the Lutyens zone in the national capital.

District Judge Amar Nath dismissed her plea to quash the eviction notice issued on June 30 by the Estate Officer of the Jammu and Kashmir government for vacating bungalow No.7 on the Akbar Road here.

The bungalow was allotted to Omar Abdullah in 1999 when he was a parliament member from Jammu and Kashmir. The house was allotted to him by the Ministry of Urban Development.

Omar Abdullah had then taken charge as the Union Minister of State for External Affairs in Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s NDA government, from July 23, 2001, to December 23, 2002. He resigned from the NDA government in October 2002 to concentrate on party work.

In her plea, Payal told court that her family continued to live in that house when Omar was neither the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir nor a Union minister from 2002 to 2008.

Later, Omar become the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir in January 2009 and remained in that post till January 2015.

The bungalow has big security lights and accommodation available for 41 security personnel.

Payal told the court that notice issued by Estate Officer of Jammu and Kashmir was illegal as it was issued under the act of Jammu and Kashmir state which is not applicable in Delhi.

She also said that eviction notice was not sent by the Ministry of Urban Development which allotted the sprawling accommodation to her husband in 1999.

Payal has also filed a plea in the Delhi High court seeking its directions that she along with her sons be either allowed continued stay at 7, Akbar Road, or be allotted another suitable government accommodation where the family’s 94 security personnel can effectively protect them. The matter is pending in high court.